Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
58. Natural enemy (3)
“Teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim!”
Kwakwakwang!
Together with the scream calling out Jegal Jaegeol’s name, an explosion occurred.
Perhaps some of the underground parking lot’s systems were broken, the lighting flickered through the smoke remaining as aftermath of explosion.
“What?! What happened?!”
“It’s an Enemy! It suddenly appeared from the ground, but there is no otherworld’s gate there, so how…”
“Did it perhaps approach hiding its presence. No, there is something strange about that…”
“Teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim! Where are You? Are You okay?”
“Teacher-nim’s presence became distant…!”
Kwakwakwakwa! Kwakwang!
As if replying to the 1st year class 0’s students’ voices, they heard successive explosions.
At the same time as them, they felt superpower wave flickering all around.
They sensed the signs of Enemies flowing out of the otherworld’s gates again.
“Enemies are coming out of the otherworld’s gate over there again!”
“However, teacher-nim…!”
Because the few lights got broken, the underground parking lot became even darker than a moment ago, and the Players, who fought without weapons, were consuming more physical power and superpower wave than usual.
In addition, it was a situation where they couldn’t know when the support would come.
At the thought that something might have happened to Jegal Jaegeol, who in such a situation had the highest combat power and was a pillar of mental support, the chaos and anxiety increased.
The hands of the Players, who faced Enemies, trembled slightly.
At that moment, Maeng Hyodon pointed in the direction where the light was broken, so it wasn’t well visible.
“Over there!”
“Uh…?”
A calm voice echoed in the dark underground parking lot.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Paaa…!
Together with Jegal Jaegeol’s voice, calm light spread on the ground.
The clean-cut writing of the kotodama Jegal Jaegeol engraved on the floor with the superpower wave was emitting light.
It seemed that Jegal Jaegeol, enveloped in the light released by the writing, first distanced himself from the location where the explosions happened, and deliberately guided the powerful Enemy there to put on the distance from the students.
“As the opponent was unaffected through the kotodama, it took some time to capture it, eh? It’s a temporary measure, but I blocked its movements.”
Seeing the appearance of the Enemy, which attacked Jegal Jaegeol, the children sucked in a breath.
They saw at a glance that the Enemy, whose body was two or three times bigger than Jegal Jaegeol, had its eyes and ears roughly sewed.
The Enemy’s inclination, that was possible to guess from that bizarre appearance, made Players’ alertness surge even more.
“This, I saw it in textbooks. It’s the ‘Suppression category’ Enemy, the type that suppresses some of its instincts and senses to raise its destruction power…!”
Perhaps the Enemy detected the air and superpower wave through skin, and it attempted to rush at the Players a few times.
Every attempt was blocked by the kotodama Jegal Jaegeol engraved on the ground.
When the Suppression category Enemy stepped on the letters written with the superpower wave, as if intuiting the limits to its actions, it quickly took back the foot that touched the light and halted. It repeated.
‘That teacher blocked it well, but it can’t be good, right?’
Maeng Hyodon, who observed that scene, felt a chill down his spine.
This Enemy had its vision and hearing sealed.
In other words, it was an opponent that couldn’t be directly influenced by Jegal Jaegeol’s main skill kotodama.
‘Because he spread out the superpower wave and letters on the floor like a trap, its movements are blocked, but something doesn’t feel right. And that bad feeling appeared a while ago too!’
The Enemy that appeared just now seemed like a type that was introduced as the opponent against the kotodama users.
It was not just that, it bothered him that that Enemy didn’t appear from the otherworld gate, but behind Jegal Jaegeol’s back.
As if Jegal Jaegeol also felt a sense of threat from that Enemy, he warned other Players:
“I’ll deal with this Enemy, you keep your distance!”
“Eve-even if we do, the kotodama on this Enemy is…”
“Based on the volume of superpower wave and destruction power, this Enemy is SSR rank. This rarity Enemy will be difficult to deal with by 1st year students without weapons!”
At the words that the presumed rarity of the Enemy was SSR rank, short silence fell.
“The otherworlds here were SR rank!”
“Sh-shouldn’t the Enemies forming around the otherworlds match the rarity of the otherworlds?”
The Players expressed reasonable doubts, but before they could hear the answer, the battlefield changed.
Creak… creak creak…!
The floor and walls started to protrude.
It wasn’t a change in the space because someone used a skill or a Gwangrim, the place where they were was physically changing.
The 1st year class 0’s students, who didn’t have much otherworld conquest experience yet, didn’t quite recognize it, but the adult Players, including Jegal Jaegeol, made terrified faces.
“… It’s the effect that appears when this kind of floor master Enemy or boss Enemy changes the space.”
“It can’t be, we’re not inside the otherworld, we’re outside!”
Maeng Hyodon still didn’t know what was happening, but through their conversation, he guessed the identity of this phenomenon.
Maeng Hyodon, with his extraordinary fighting head, quickly grasped the essence of it.
‘Doesn’t that mean that that SSR rank Enemy is currently using the ability that the floor masters or bosses can use in the otherworlds?’
Because of the gradually increasing variables and strange situation, the number of Players, who were losing their cool, continued to increase.
In midst of it, because the floor transformed, the letters started to get twisted, so Jegal Jaegeol engraved them again and prepared to activate his Gwangrim, while handling the battlefield.
At that moment, another variable was added.
“Sa-save me, please…!”
In the corner of the underground parking lot, inside the crushed car.
From the broken backseat window, a person with the broadcasting staff nametag on his neck was asking for rescue.
The pro Player team’s member, who took on the role of a guard, lamented.
“Didn’t we evacuate the civilians the moment we came here…!”
“I guess He was inside the car. We have to rescue Him right now! I’m going!”
Jegal Jaegeol, who was the closest, ran towards the car.
Maeng Hyodon looked at the staff member’s face and mumbled with a surprised expression.
“Uh, that fucker…!”
He saw that face somewhere.
Perhaps it wasn’t an important person for Maeng Hyodon, or perhaps it was a limit of Maeng Hyodon’s memory, he didn’t remember where he met that person.
‘I don’t remember, but something feels icky.’
Maeng Hyodon was certain that guy wasn’t someone he met in exactly good circumstances.
Maeng Hyodon head wasn’t that good, and he didn’t have an Insight category skill or Gwangrim.
Both his skills and Gwangrim were only related to fighting.
As such Maeng Hyodon had difficulty trusting the ominous feeling he felt and hesitated to act.
Before Maeng Hyodon was to let it go[1], Tak Geosan’s words flashed in his head.
— Your head is bad, but you were born to fight.
He didn’t like how Tak ascetic commented on his head.
But because Maeng Hyodon didn’t think his words were wrong, he didn’t refute.
— In the fight, trust your instincts and act!
Recalling his master’s words, Maeng Hyodon activated his Gwangrim ‘Fighter’s Pull’.
Paaat!
When the ‘Fighter’s Pull’ activated, a big superpower wave zone in the shape of a square ring formed and the superpower wave in the shape of a fist soared up.
While this Gwangrim was active, Maeng Hyodon’s stats greatly raised, and the chosen target was tied to the designated area until the Gwangrim was lifted or Maeng Hyodon collapsed.
Behind Maeng Hyodon, several fists soared up, and pointed the designated targets.
Paaaa….!
After activation of the Gwangrim, the fighter Maeng Hyodon couldn’t leave that square space designated as the fighting arena.
At the same time, the chosen targets perceived Maeng Hyodon as an ‘opponent’.
Maeng Hyodon’s chosen targets were all Enemies, that weren’t annihilated at the current moment, including the Suppression category Enemy.
And Jegal Jaegeol.
“Hyodon-ah, did you use your Gwangrim on me just now?”
Before he could reach the location of the civilian, Jegal Jaegeol’s feet were tied.
As he couldn’t leave the area designated as the fight arena, Jegal Jaegeol was flustered and looked at Maeng Hyodon.
At that moment.
Bang! Peuk!
“Aaaack!”
Someone landed on top of the passenger car Jegal Jaegeol was headed towards, and then immediately smacked the head of the person, who was sticking it out through the window.
Someone, who had incapacitated the opponent with lightning-quick hand skills, mumbled:
“Not late, eh?”
The someone who appeared like this was a being famous as the 1st year class 0’s lunatic.
* * *
Though the battle was still ongoing, even when he was this close, I wasn’t able to sense Yeom Junyeol’s presence.
I was happy about my disciple’s growth, but thinking of showing such a haggard appearance to my disciple, the feeling of sorriness was on the forefront.
Tap tap.
Yeom Junyeol approached us, weak footsteps ringing out.
Meanwhile, Yong Jegeon took off the crow mask, and Yeom Junyeol’s gaze was fixed on my nametag on my school uniform and the crow mask for a moment.
Yeom Junyeol stopped two steps away from me.
But even after he stopped, he didn’t open his mouth.
‘Are you hesitating how you should call me?’
The crow mask I handed to Yong Jegeon was the one I usually wore during the lessons with Yeom Junyeol.
If it was the clever Yeom Junyeol, it was certain that he would figure out everything from the current situation and seeing my appearance.
Thinking that a junior a year younger than him was acting as his master, Yeom Junyeol could be angry.
However, my kind disciple Yeom Junyeol couldn’t be angry at the person he took on as his master no matter what was their identity.
So I decided to speak up not as Yeom Junyeol’s master, but as his junior Jo Uisin.
“Senior Yeom Junyeol-nim, are You hurt anywhere?”
At my words, Yong Jegeon let out a short ‘Ha’ sigh.
Even when I thought about it, it wasn’t the best move to play right now, but I didn’t know how I should respond.
‘Uh…!’
Tears gathered in Yeom Junyeol’s eyes, who was looking at me.
Seeing those eyes, both I and Yong Jegeon stiffened.
“… If you call me like that, I should respond as ‘senior Yeom Junyeol-nim’, huh?”
The moment he finished those words with a subdued voice, a single tear fell from the corner of Yeom Junyeol’s eye.
Yong Jegeon held his breath and observed that scene with a bloodless face.
I didn’t know what I was doing right now, but it seemed I was looking like Yong Jegeon when watching Yeom Junyeol.
Yeom Junyeol closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, the tears disappeared.
Instead, Yeom Junyeol stared at me with sunken eyes.
Receiving that gaze, my insides pricked, as if I swallowed a needle.
‘I should apologize to Yeom Junyeol later. Now is not the time.’
I repressed the bitterness because of a guilty heart, and spoke:
“Communication will soon be restored. The deactivated recording devices here will work again. We have to move before that happens.”
I turned away from Yeom Junyeol and looked at Cadmus, who collapsed in the field of arrows, as I spoke.
Considering the scenario Cadmus appeared in and the development following that, the next move was already fixed.
“Teacher Yong Jegeon-nim, take that guy, slip out from here and bring him to the Yong tribe’s base on the Korean Peninsula.”
If we leave it like that, the Player’s Association would take Cadmus.
From Yong tribe’s standpoint, they wouldn’t want to leave the dragon, who tried to assassinate the Yong tribe member and the Yong tribe’s descendant to the Association.
The Yong tribe wasn’t close with the Association, but they also weren’t in an antagonistic relationship, so they may get Cadmus handed to them, but it would be a story for a distant future.
‘Cadmus has to land in Yong tribe’s hands right now.’
Yong Jegeon stared at me, and then nodded.
After seeing Yeom Junyeol’s tears, Yong Jegeon’s mood plummeted to the rock bottom, but it would be difficult to refuse my suggestion as it was for the sake of the Yong tribe.
“You?”
“I’ll exert myself from here first. As I have spare clothes, I plan to change and move.”
“What?”
“I’ll compensate for teacher Yong Jegeon-nim’s clothes later.”
“Uisin-ah… the clothes aren’t the problem right now…”
As I had a Gwangrim that could change my face and built, I always had spare clothes in my item window.
There were clothes in the size that didn’t match 17 years old Jo Uisin, to deal with the times when I changed into other builds somewhere, but it would be better than wearing Yong Jegeon’s clothes that became a bloody mess.
‘If I join them like this, Hwang Jiho will probably see the state of my superpower wave and say something. As it could create problems in the next schedule, I should observe from the distance and slip out to settle this situation…’
It was a pity that I wouldn’t be able to see Dokgo Miro’s stage in person, but I made up my mind to move for the sake of the future.
When I was contemplating my movement route in my head, Yeom Junyeol spoke up to Yong Jegeon.
“Uisin-i saved me and Jegeon hyung today.”
Saying this, Yeom Junyeol made a face worthy of my kind and perfect disciple.
“Jegeon hyung, please take the benefactor, Uisin-i, to our home to heal him.”
*~*~*
[1] let it go — literally ‘put down his hand’.
Translator’s note: Jo Uisin’s natural enemy no. 3: His kind and perfect disciple.
Patron thank you note:
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Wullschlaegelia aphylla’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Warrea warreana’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Warczewiczella amazonica’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Warreella cyanea’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Warreopsis colorata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Silvorchis colorata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Sarcophyton pachyphyllum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Sobralia macrantha’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, anonymous Kofi-supporter, please accept this Soterosanthus shepheardii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Hematite, please accept this Sacoila lanceolata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Deflubs, please accept this Schlimia alpina’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Rose Marie, please accept this Scaphyglottis bidentata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, inkwell, please accept this Lilium martagon’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to support this translation and access to 8 advanced chapter (Patreon & Kofi)
> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LibraryKeyTranslations
> Kofi-Euro: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslator
> Kofi-USD: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslatorusd
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
Leave a Reply